Tag Archives: menthol

Are summer treats causing you stomach discomfort?

21 Wednesday Jul 2021

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The high-sugar foods we tend to eat all summer – like ice cream, popsicles, and Frappuccinos – can make us feel gassy and bloated. That’s because sugar feeds our intestinal bacteria and makes it multiply. The solution: Sip a glass of mint iced tea! Peppermint contains menthol, which stalls the growth of gas-producing bacteria. Mint also relaxes stomach muscles; it has an antispasmodic effect – which means it can relieve gas and cramping. In fact, UCLA scientists found that sipping a glass of mint tea after meals helped reduce stomach trouble for up to 69% of people tested.

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If you or a loved one is all stuffed up…

24 Tuesday Nov 2020

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…apply a mentholated rub the right way. In other words, DON’T swipe some under the nose. That can make airways swell and fill with mucus, which is the exact opposite of what you need and could trigger breathing problems. Instead, use something like Vick’s VapoRub as directed – on the chest or throat. And don’t use a menthol medicated rub on kids under the age of 2. 

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Feel a migraine brewing?

08 Monday Jun 2020

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Slather some menthol gel on your neck, forehead and behind your ears – the mintier, the better!

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University, in Pennsylvania, found 80% of migraine sufferers saw their symptoms improve within 2 hours of a menthol gel treatment… And for 1-in-4 people, migraines disappeared completely!

What’s so magical about mint? Researchers say “menthol appears to stimulate nerves that communicate with the brain to ease pain.”

For best results, get a gel that contains at least 6% menthol.

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Need an instant pick-me-up?

19 Tuesday May 2020

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Swap your next cup of coffee for peppermint tea… it’s proven to boost your energy, focus AND alertness within minutes. That’s from The International Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers found that mint’s aroma alone helps stimulate the brain’s memory centers, which means it’ll clear up any brain fog that’s slowing you down, and help you focus. It’s similar to what happens when you first bite into a piece of peppermint gum, and you get an icy cool sensation in your mouth that wakes you up!

Meanwhile, menthol – which is the active ingredient in mint – is proven to relax muscles and arteries in a way that increases blood flow. The upshot being that if your energy is being dragged down by stress, for example, sipping peppermint tea is the perfect way to get your energy back.

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How can we cool down AND perk up at the same time?

13 Friday Sep 2019

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Grab a glass of MINT iced tea. You know we’re big fans of drinking tea in general… because whether it’s iced or hot, tea’s full of antioxidants proven to boost immune function, and even slow the growth of cancer tumors. But if your goal is to cool down, adding mint to iced tea is the way to go. First, because the menthol in mint stimulates sensory neurons, which MAGNIFIES the cooling sensation we feel. In turn, psychologist Dr. Bryan Raudenbush says mint tea stimulates our alertness and energy – which explains why athletes who drank mint tea before a workout felt motivated to exercise longer and harder than those who drank water.

And as a bonus, mint tea can even help us lose weight. In a study, volunteers who sniffed peppermint before meals ate 400 fewer calories per day… which is enough to lose about a pound a week!

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Migraine headache remedies:

03 Tuesday Apr 2018

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How does a bubble bath sound as a cure for migraines? Pretty good, right? Well, researchers say a bubble bath – using MENTHOL bath gel – may banish your headache. According to professor Paul Goadsby, who specializes in migraines at King’s College London, there’s scientific evidence that menthol is a proven painkiller that’s just as effective as over-the-counter headache remedies.

Menthol comes from the mint plant, and it works by activating a skin receptor that makes us feel cool – and that can relieve pain. It’s the opposite of capsaicin, the compound that makes spicy food taste hot, and triggers our pain receptors – while mint and menthol turn them off. No time for a bath? No problem: Add 3 drops of peppermint essential oil to a tablespoon of water. Soak it up with a cotton ball… And run it across your temples, and along your hairline.

Your head will feel better within 15 minutes.

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Want to avoid chapped lips?

17 Wednesday Jan 2018

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Stop licking them! Since saliva is acidic, licking can make the thin skin on your lips even drier – making you lick more, and creating a vicious cycle. The solution: Use lip balm with NO camphor or menthol – which are drying agents.
Instead, get one containing humectants, which draw moisture IN, like lanolin or shea butter – or just use a little coconut oil.

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Our lips are more likely to get chapped in cold, dry, windy weather…

09 Thursday Nov 2017

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But don’t let your lip balm make things worse!
Dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann says balms that contain camphor and menthol – that make lips feel tingly – will suck moisture from your already dry lips and it’ll evaporate away.

So, they actually make our lips drier! Those ingredients only work on lips if they’re counterbalanced by moisturizing ingredients called “occlusives.” Those include beeswax, shea butter, and things like coconut or argan oils – which block moisture loss.

So, check the ingredients on your lip balm and make sure – if it includes camphor or menthol, it also has something like beeswax or shea butter.

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Sore muscle ointments do work, and here’s why!

21 Thursday Sep 2017

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Have you ever had sore muscles and treated them with something like Tiger Balm? You know, with that tingling sensation? Well, topical ointments can relieve pain by up to 28% – and here’s why… According to pain expert Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, pain signals and temperature signals run along the same nerve fibers – like a telephone line. So when you apply an ointment with a tingly, cooling sensation – or heat sensation – it’s like a telephone signal with crossed wires. The call doesn’t go through – and in this case, the pain doesn’t go through. And Dr. Teitelbaum says, if you keep those muscle pain ointments in the fridge, you’ll double their pain relief capability.

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